Robots have been used in welding operations for some time. An example of such is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,932, which is incorporated by reference. Typically, a robot arm having a welding torch at a distal end welds a work piece positioned on a work table, which can also be referred to as a welding table. The work table is located in a welding cell and the robot is programmed to weld along a desired path.
In known welding cells, work tables have limited movement with respect to the robot arm. For the robot arm to weld along the desired path, it is the robot arm that moves with respect to the work table, as opposed to the work table being able to move with respect to the robot arm. Greater flexibility with regard to the welding path could be achieved if the work table was able to move.